The top 5 WordPress event plugins

A con­vin­cing WordPress plugin for events boasts features to schedule and run events for or­gan­isers and guests alike. Many plugins are available for free in their basic versions.

WordPress has plenty of tools for general schedul­ing. You may already be familiar with WordPress calendars to schedule and process important ap­point­ments. Various WordPress ap­point­ment booking solutions are available to this end and these tend to be suf­fi­cient for many users and busi­nesses. However, if you’re looking to schedule, organise, publish and advertise multiple events using WordPress, things can get a little more com­plic­ated. In this case, you’ll want a dedicated WordPress event plugin to manage everything from one place. The right solution depends on your budget and needs.

There’s a huge variety of event plugins. To find a suitable WordPress plugin for your events, consider what you’ll be using the tool for and which tasks it should help with. The following features are worth con­sid­er­ing in a WordPress event solution, among others:

• Re­spons­ive design: This applies to most WordPress plugins, but a re­spons­ive design is essential for event planning. You want to be able to access your planner at all times using any device, and the same applies to your (potential) guests. Bookings, overviews, planning and ad­di­tion­al in­form­a­tion should be ac­cess­ible round the clock and on the go using a smart­phone.
   
• User-friend­li­ness: WordPress event plugins that are overly com­plic­ated tend to waste time and your audiences may even lose interest. A good plugin maintains clarity and fa­cil­it­ates an intuitive booking process.
   
• In­teg­ra­tion options: A WordPress event plugin works well when used in con­junc­tion with other tools. While this isn’t always necessary, it has several ad­vant­ages. This applies as much to WordPress operators as well as event attendees. The in­ter­ac­tion with eCommerce solutions, calendar functions or other tools opens up options and smooths event schedul­ing.
   
• Useful added features: In most cases, you won’t need all the features of a premium solution. But there are some features which are re­com­mend­able. These include map in­teg­ra­tions, which sim­pli­fies nav­ig­a­tion to the location of your event. Shopping and photo in­teg­ra­tions or automated email no­ti­fic­a­tions without having to resort to ad­di­tion­al WordPress news­let­ter plugins are of added value.
   
• Relevant costs: There are plenty of free and com­mer­cial WordPress event plugins available. Sometimes investing a little more can be worth it for premium features. Other times a free solution is entirely suf­fi­cient. When running events on a tight budget, you shouldn’t be spending all your money on a WordPress event plugin. Sub­scrip­tion models only make sense if you regularly plan and execute events.

Who should use Modern Events Calendar?

Modern Events Calendar is aimed at all users. In the free version, the WordPress event plugin is an in­ter­est­ing solution for one-off or sporadic use. If you regularly schedule larger events, you’ll be pleased with the ad­di­tion­al features in the premium packages.

Who should use Events Manager?

Events Manager is great for as­so­ci­ations and or­gan­isa­tions with multiple members or staff creating and managing events. The choice between free and premium packages makes this WordPress event plugin suitable for many use scenarios.

Who should use All-in-One Event Calendar?

For users managing multiple recurring events, this WordPress event plugin is worth con­sid­er­ing. The All-in-One Event Calendar is equally suitable for managing larger events with many guests.

Who should use EventOn?

Given its pricing, EventOn isn’t a single-use solution. However, if your company or as­so­ci­ation regularly plans and executes events, you’ll find a visually superior and very user-friendly WordPress event plugin in EventOn.

Who should use The Events Calendar?

In the basic version, The Events Calendar is aimed at clubs, bands or or­gan­isa­tions looking to add events without spending much time editing them. A premium option is available for more demanding needs. It includes ad­di­tion­al features for com­mer­cial use.